Space in 3D
Turn the Sun, move the planets through time, spin NASA's spacecraft, and open NASA's own 3D apps.
The Sun, all the way round
NASA SDO's newest picture on a sphere you can turn, with the week's flares where they happened.
NASA SDO, AIA 171 Å, 21 Oct 16:24 UTC (16 min ago when this page was made). Laid on a sphere by Browse with the Sun's tilt that day DERIVED; the bright line is where the Earth's view ends. 1 of DONKI's flares from the three days before, turned to the picture's time. Courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.
The solar system, at any moment
The eight planets where JPL's orbits put them, from 1800 to 2050. Play time, turn it, tap a planet.
- Mars from the Sun
- 1.58 au 237 million km
- From the Earth
- 1.51 au light takes 13 min
DERIVED Computed by Browse from JPL's approximate orbital elements (Standish, valid 1800 to 2050) with Kepler's equation, the method JPL publishes with them; positions agree with JPL Horizons to within about a thousandth of the distance. JPL's elements ↗. Distances to scale; the planets' dots are not, or none would show.
NASA's spacecraft, in 3D
Eight of NASA's own 3D models, drawn by Browse. Drag to turn, pinch or use + and − to zoom.
International Space Station
In orbit since 1998; crewed since 2000.
NASA's model page ↗ · NASA 3D Resources (all of NASA's models ↗). Drawn by Browse, lit simply; not to scale beside another model. NASA's file was decoded and its pictures made smaller for the web; its shape and colours are NASA's.
NASA's Eyes
NASA/JPL's own 3D apps, opened inside this page when you tap.
- Eyes on the Solar SystemThe Sun, the planets and NASA's spacecraft where NASA computes they are, at any time you pick.Open at NASA ↗
- Eyes on the EarthNASA's Earth-watching satellites in their orbits now, with what they measure.Open at NASA ↗
- Eyes on AsteroidsEvery known near-Earth asteroid and comet, and the next close approaches.Open at NASA ↗
- Eyes on ExoplanetsThe planets found around other stars, and how they were found.Open at NASA ↗
- DSN NowWhich spacecraft NASA's Deep Space Network dishes are talking to right now.Open at NASA ↗
Loads NASA's own app from eyes.nasa.gov inside this page, a few megabytes. NASA measures visits to it with Google Analytics, through the US government's Digital Analytics Program; nothing loads until you tap. NASA calls these simulations, made from mission data: not cameras.